The Summoning
by andreapl
Summary: Emma was sent to Konoha with only one clear objective:find two lost souls and aid them in their quest for one long lost. With this in mind, she sets off on a journey to not only find these two unknown ninjas, but to help them however she can.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This is a Naruto fan fiction with my own character as the protagonist. I draw upon many different elements aside from those that are present in the Naruto series, some of which are my own and some not. I do not own Naruto of the characters associated with it.

1.

The leaves crunched under Emma`s feet as she slowly walked through the unfamiliar forest. Even though she had never been here, she would have been able to believe it if you were to tell her so. For a completely new world, everything seems eerily _normal_. The trees rustled in the soft wind and discarded their rusty old leaves into the air as Emma made her way. _It must be fall_, she thought to herself. The air smelt fresh and un-polluted, which was a new sensation, yet it did offer her some form of comfort knowing that she could finally breathe clean air.

Emma was only given vague instructions upon her departure from Earth: _find two lost souls and aid them in their quest for one long lost._ No specific names were given, no descriptions of what they looked like, nothing besides the name of their village- Konoha. Emma was given as much information as could be offered to her from her mentor on Earth. She knew that Konoha was a ninja village surrounded by the earth, wind, water and lightning country. After this fact however, her information became sparse and unreliable which made her feel uneasy.

During the time Emma had to herself, she took the time to imagine what her new life was going to be like. She imagined what the people who called Konoha home looked like, and what they would thing of her. She tried to picture how they dressed and if it was going to be anything like people on Earth imagined ninjas to look like. And then she wondered if she would become an outsider, if she would be able to find the two people she knew nothing about and if they would even _want_ her help in search of their friend. The thought of all this was too unsettling and she began to feel apprehensive, so she stopped herself at that thought.

After what seemed like hours of walking with so sign of a village of any sorts, Emma finally found a faint path to follow. It was scarcely engraved in the forest floor, but she could still distinguish it clearly. This marked one strange aspect about this new world; there were barely any paths or roads. It was almost as if people made an effort to travel through the trees, or somehow manages to avoid touching the forest floor at all costs. Then it struck her- what if ground travel was not _safe_ here. There were surly many traps strategically placed throughout the years, she was making herself an easy target. She internally scolded herself for forgetting the basic training she was given back home, from this point on, Emma had to keep her guard up. At this realization, her body tensed up. She could not physically defend herself be any means as she only wielded a small pocket knife that she barely knew how to properly handle. Her endurance was laughable, if she were to be chased for more than ten minutes, Emma would be done for. She only had her summon cards, which would count as a huge advantage if she also had the physical strength to fight alongside her summons.

_The trees. _The trees. It was the only way she could safely make it to Konoha. Emma made her way to the nearest tree and began to clumsily make her way up. She was thankful no one was around to see her sheepishly attempt the climb as it was most likely easy to any trained ninja. When so got to the top, she thanked god that the branches were all connected so that she could easily make her way from tree to tree without the thought of having to jump too far, if at all. Regardless of this fact, she still had to muster up all of her strength and courage to make her way across. As she was making her way out of the first tree, she made the mistake of looking down. There had to be at least twenty feet between her and the ground. The branch was sturdy however and she successfully completed her first crossing.

When she was crossing what had to be at least the hundredth tree, Emma noticed a large, wooden gate in the distance. _This must be it_, she thought desperately. She made her way down from the tree she was currently in, assuming that ground travel had to be safe at this point. She was exhausted as she made the final leg of her lonely voyage to Konoha, but the sight of the gate brought excitement to her. Behind that entrance, a new journey awaited her and with that in mind, she picked up her pace and headed to the gate with courage on her side.


	2. Chapter 2

Notes: Sorry about the horrible spelling in the first chapter. To be honest, I did not spell check to the best of my ability. I'll do better this time

2.

When Emma arrived at the massive wooden gate leading into Konoha, she noticed the two guards watching over it. They stood at both sides and wore green utility vests and black cargo pants. She looked down at her oversized, red jacket and hoped her outfit didn't stand out too much to either of them. She walked towards the guard standing to the left of the gate. From further away, he appeared to look like the friendlier of the two, but as she drew closer, she realized this was not the case. His face had a scar cutting directly across it, and as a result, his one eye was sealed nearly shut. _How did that happen..._Emma thought as she examined it closer.

"Welcome," the guard greeted with a low voice "State your name."

She was never so terrified in her life to say her name. The guard's eyes locked onto hers and she could feel her palms beginning to sweat. With one final quick breath, she answered him," Emma Marie Carraway". She was surprised at how confidant she managed to sound.

" Your business in Konoha?" He replied as he shifted his gaze away from her.

"A friend," she blurted out almost instinctfully, "I've a friend here who I haven't seen in awhile. Just coming for a visit." She was proud of herself for the lie coming so naturally when she needed it to.

With that said, the guard motioned to his partner and the two began to open the gate. "Enjoy your visit" he said giving Emma what seemed to be a smile. She nodded and slowly walked through the gate into Konoha.

Near the village entrance, Konoha was quiet, with small houses attached to shops scattered along the streets. People smiled at each other as they passed along on their daily activities. It was strange for her to see people being so blatantly kind to one another. If she were to greet someone she did not know back where she was from, she would most defiantly be branded "strange" or "out of the ordinary". However this was not the time to be noticing subtleties of her new village, there was too much work to be done and too many unknowns to be directing her attention to anything else but the mission at hand.

Eventually, she ended up sitting in a small restaurant with seating only in front of the chef. There were two other customers slurping down some kind of noodles rapidly, not even thinking of the horrid noises they were making. "Afternoon" greeted the chef in a husky voice, "what can I get for yah?"

She glanced at the menu and picked the first thing that caught her eye," An egg please, and a glass of water if you could."

The chef grinned at her," On a budget, are yah?" he exclaimed loudly with his back turned to her, preparing another customers meal. Steam filled the air and the smell of whatever he was making made Emma's mouth water." You could say that I guess" she replied, adding a smile and resting her elbow on the table. She felt oddly comfortable here, like this man had heard thousands of stories and if she were to tell him hers, it would not even rank among the top ten strangest ones he ever listened to in his career. "Everyone's on a budget now yah? Even the Hokage's gotta watch what she goes spendin' her money on" he said, beginning to laugh when he mentioned the Hokage.

A few minutes later he handed Emma the egg she ordered with a small bowl of soup as well. She thanked him for giving her the soup and began to eat her meal. For something so simple, it tasted amazing. She realized she was eating so quickly that she forgot she was even in the restaurant. She began to slow down at this realization, trying not to be rude. After taking her last sip of soup, she finally decided to ask the chef if he had any idea who the people she was looking for could be." Excuse me," she started,at the sound of her voice the chef swung his head back in her direction and nodded "Do you know anyone who has lost a close friend? Two people actually." He thought about it for a minute and eventually came up with an answer "You talkin' bout Naruto and that Sakura girl? They lost a friend bout four years ago. Total loss that one is." He became quiet when he mentioned it; it must be a touchy subject in the village. "Thank you, thank you so much. Do you know where I can find them?" Emma asked, now anxious to leave the restaurant and begin searching for Naruto and Sakura. "Try waiting for them at the mission center, I can guarantee they go there lots."

With that said, Emma slapped the money she owed down on the table, leaving a generous tip. "Thank you sir!" she exclaimed as she began to get up out of her seat "Keep the change!" And then she was gone from the restaurant, headed towards the heart on Konoha with high spirits.


	3. Chapter 3

Notes: Please feel free to write a review! I really would love to hear some suggestions on making my store more detailed. I want you to be able to envision the world I am trying to create, as well as the relationships between my characters. Enjoy!

3.

The air was beginning to get chilly when Emma left the restaurant. She was too full of excitement to feel it though. She took in much less of the scenery now that she knew who she was looking for and even their possible location. Emma was completely focused now as she headed towards the middle of the city. When she saw the large, dome shaped building; she knew she had to be at the mission center. There were hundreds of ninjas surrounding the building, some training lightly with their team and some just relaxing after a hard mission. As she passed, none of them even acknowledged her or made an effort to point out that she in no way looked like a ninja. Emma's hair was just below her shoulders and fell into defined waves. Her eyes were olive and lively, and her skin pale yet bright.

It took effort for Emma to push open the doors to the building, as they were large and built of heavy materials. Inside, the mission center was hollow and minimally decorated with only a few chairs lining the walls for people to wait in. Towards the back of the room was a desk where two people sat, delivering the missions to the ninjas waiting in line. There were bright signs scattered along the walls advertising people who were in search of an escort back to their country, all the way to women who needed help finding their lost pet. Emma decided to wait in the line and ask the people at the desk if they knew who either Naruto or Sakura were.

The line progressed quicker than Emma expected it to. She could now clearly see the faces of the two desk workers. One was a girl with short black hair and a friendly face and the other, a man with shoulder length light brown hair wearing a bandana with the Konoha symbol onit. Once at the front, Emma found herself lost for words, staring the friendly looking woman in the face.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked softly. "Ah, yeah-I'm looking for someone." Emma replied anxiously. The woman pointed towards a spiral staircase leading to the second floor," If you would like to submit a mission, you have to go upstairs."

"Oh, no! I mean, I am sure these people are currently in the village, I just need help finding them," she replied quickly. "Do you know anyone by the name of Natuto or Sakura?"

The woman look puzzled for a second, "Sakura is currently on a mission in the Water country, she should be back by tomorrow though. Naruto on the other hand is just upstairs, having meeting with the Hokage." The lady answered, adding a warm smile at the end, "I'll have Ton Ton lead you there if you would like." As she said this, a miniature pig jumped down from her lap wearing a red vest and a pearl necklace. At the sight of it, Emma had to fight herself not to laugh at its ridiculous yet adorable appearance. Emma thanked the woman, who told her that her name was Shizune. The pig then started to walk in the direction of the stairs to lead Emma to the Hokage's office to finally meet Naruto.

Once they arrived at the door to the office, Ton Ton let out a loud "Oink!" and pointed her head in the direction of the door. Emma didn't want to intrude on any meeting, but her reason was important soshe began to gather up the courage to knock upon the wide wooden door. When she finally did knock, the door swung open almost immediately, behind it a man with messy grey hair and a mask covering half of his face. At a large desk sat a busty woman with long blond hair she fashioned into a pony tail, and sitting to the left of the circular room, was a boy who looked to be about Emma's age. His hair was uncombed and blond and he had striking blue eyes. The woman spoke first "Who are you looking for?" Her voice was strong and demanding, which imitated Emma. "I- I'm looking for someone named Naruto." Emma replied so quietly that she thought no one could hear her. The blue eyed boy looked up at her, surprised by the mention of the name. He then began to stand up and make his way over to Emma. He was tall and strong looking, his build alone made Emma feel weak in comparison. "Waddya need me for?" He answered, looking down at Emma while scratching the back of his head. The woman sitting at the desk and the grey haired man looked at each other in confusion. "I've been sent here to help you find an old friend." Emma replied, looking up at him straight in the eyes with the most confidant face she could manage.

At the mention of this, the room became silent for what seemed like an eternity.


	4. Chapter 4

Notes: Welcome back! I took a pretty long break to focus on my school work, but I'll try my hardest to write a few more chapters before I get busy again. Enjoy!

4.

The silence remained prominent in the room, and the look on Naruto's face grew concerned. The air grew stagnant and the soft breeze that was blowing through it seemed to completely come to a halt. The busty woman stood up from her desk, and made her way over to Emma. "Where are you from?" the woman asked in an assertive voice. This was the only question that Emma did not want to hear at this point of her mission, it was too crazy for anyone to believe upon just being acquainted with her. With this thought Emma immediately began to panic, if she told them where she was from now, they would surely think she's crazy. "Don't lie to me" the woman added, noticing the frantic look upon Emma's face. "I'm from another village," Emma replied quickly, it was not a _complete_ lie. The walls of the office seemed as though they were closing in around Emma, if these people did not believe her, she would be done before she could even think of an escape plan.

The busty woman looked at the grey haired man as he gave her a nod; she then shifted her attention back to Emma, letting out a brief sigh. "Fine," she said looking up at the ceiling, then resting her head upon her hands, "Naruto, you can go now. I'll let you deal with this." The grey hair man then looked at Emma and gave her what seemed to be a smile, however she could not tell if he was trying to be inviting or threatening. Naruto still looked confused, but he obeyed the woman's command without a question. Before leaving the room, he dropped a paper on the woman's desk and gave her a look signaling that he would come back to finish their conversation later. He then escorted Emma out of the room, back into the hallway and down the spiral staircase.

As the two walked together, Emma could not help but feel weak in comparison to Naruto. He had to be over six feet tall and she could tell he was strong just by looking at him. The silence between the two was think and discomforting as they walked through the streets of the village, Naruto did not seem to take notice of it though. As they walked through Konoha, Emma noticed how medieval everything seemed to be, there were no flashy commercial boards or modern looking buildings. It was almost as if she traveled back in time.

"Uh, do you mind if we find a place to sit down?" Emma said softly in an attempt to break the silence, "my back is pretty tired from carrying this bag." She did not want to seem weak but her back really was exhausted from her long day. He looked down at her, his blank expression turning into a friendly smirk, "Yeah, no problem!" he replied, his voice sounding loud and over confidant.

The two quickly found a nearby bench and sat down at opposite ends, as far away from each other as they could. It was evening now and the sky was a dusty pink shade, outlined by the tree tops gently swaying in the nighttime breeze. The air was crisp, sending a shiver down Emma's back. There were not many people passing by now, everyone was most likely having dinner or heading home for the night. "So, about what you said earlier," Naruto said as he looked into the evening sky, "what do you need to talk to me about?" As he said this he shifted his attention towards Emma, who continued to focus on the swaying trees.

"I'm here to help you find your friend."

Emma wished that she had more information that she could give to Naruto, but that was all she had to offer. She felt pathetic for not having more details to provide to him. The confidant look on his face faded and he rested his head on his hands, "Do you know how many people have told me those exact words? At first I believed them," he was now looking back at Emma, trying to manage a smile, "no offence, but you don't exactly look like you could manage in a fight against a ten year old." He was right, Emma knew she had no physical strength, but he did not know that she had something else to offer that he was not aware of. She decided not to tell him this though, she would show him when Sakura arrived back to the village.

"What village did you come from by the way, if you don't mind me asking?"

This time Emma was not caught off guard and the answer came easily, without even having to think of it, "I don't think you would believe me if I told you where I'm from." As she said this, Emma looked at Naruto and offered him a smile, "it's a story I'll save for another day." Naruto accepted this reply with a nod, he then got up from the bench, stretching his arms up in the air. "Should we get going now? It's getting late, soon all the drunk perverts will be out," he said with a huge grin, laughing at his own joke, "Which hotel are you staying at? I can walk you there so you don't get scared!"

"Oh, it's just around the corner, don't worry about it! I'm actually a lot tougher than I look," this was a lie, she didn't have a hotel to stay at but she didn't want to burden Naruto by telling him this. She was planning on spending the night in the tent she had packed before she left home. "Are you sure?" Naruto said scratching his head, "there are a lot of shady characters out around this time you know." He looked concerned; it made Emma happy to know that people here were so caring and selfless. "I'll be fine!" Emma replied with a warm smile, "How about we meet here tomorrow to talk a bit more?" Naruto gave her a grin, "Sure! Be safe walking to your hotel, I'll see you tomorrow!" he said waving as he walked away.

Emma was happy that she had met such a kind person, and as she fell asleep on the hard ground, the thoughts of what was to come eased her into a deep sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Notes: I know this is progressing rather slowly, but I don't want to rush it. Hopefully I can pick up the pace in this chapter or perhaps the next!

5.

Emma woke up the next morning feeling sore and wet. She forgot how uncomfortable sleeping on the ground really was. Nevertheless she knew she had to keep pushing herself. Through the thin mesh of her tent Emma could tell that it was a sunny fall day, the air still warm and breezy. She let out a long yawn and forced herself to get out from under the covers. Emma reached for her bag and pulled out her summon cards so that she could practice quickly before having her second meeting with Naruto. This would be her first time using her cards away from Earth so she was wary if they would still be effective. With the cards in hand, she unzipped her tent and stepped outside. The secluded meadow was beautiful in the early morning light and leaves gently blew off the trees in the autumn wind. The grass was lush and green, with a few patches of clover occupying small areas.

She pulled out the card that was at the top of the deck, _water_. The card was long and on the front of it there was an intricate drawing of the water sprite that occupied this particular piece. Bracing herself, Emma took a deep breath and made an effort to become as calm as she possibly could. She then held the thick card between her two fingers and concentrated all of her energy into it. There was a deep pulse inside her body; her vision became blurred for a split second before she was able to regain control. Soon the air around Emma was sparkling and the Water summon took effect on her. Scales started appearing on her skin and she could feel the water coursing through her body. The power continued to grow stronger until it became more powerful than she ever remembered it being when she practiced on Earth. Her skin was turning grey and she began to see small fins appearing near her elbows. _What is going on,_ she thought to herself and she examined her body transform rapidly. _She had to focus_. Emma controlled her panic and prepared to try out her new powers. She focused her energy on the small puddle that was in front of her. Within seconds the puddle was expanding and the water began to bubble.

As she continued to focus on the puddle it grew larger and larger, the water becoming hot and angry, now letting off steam. Then, just as quickly as it all started, Emma began to lose control. The water was boiling and continued to expand exponentially. Emma put forward all of her efforts to keep the water confined to the small space but it was too much for her to handle. She could now feel the steam on her forehead and pearls of sweat began to form as she frantically tried to keep the water confined to its orb shape that she originally created. As she became more desperate, the situation grew worse, the water continued to grow, now the size of a large car. As she continued to push the boiling ball of water away from her she stumbled on a rock and let out a soft whimper. _This is too strong for me, _she thought to herself, beginning to doubt if she would actually be of any help to Naruto after all.

"Hey," a voice called out, "what the hell are you doing!"

It was Naruto. He rushed towards Emma, rapidly making hand seals. With the final hand gesture, a crashing wave of cold water poured down on Emma, with it the giant ball of angry water disappeared and combined with Naruto's creation. Emma fell to her knees, making a light splash in the now soft and muddy ground. Exhausted, she released the summon and it made its way back into the card. The look ok Naruto's face was not angry, but more surprised with a bit of disbelief.

"Looks like you are not as weak as you look," he said with a small grin.

"That was not my finest work, I guess things work differently here than they do back home."

"What do you mean _here_?" Naruto questioned now looking confused, "Jutsus like that work the same here as they do anywhere else."

"Yeah I guess you're right, guess I just got carried away," Emma replied trying to cover up her mistake.

"You know," Naruto said as he sat down beside Emma, "you should not get discouraged that you didn't do so well this time. Everyone messes up."

This caught Emma by surprise, "How did you know I was disappointed?"

"Come on! No one is happy when they make a mistake," he smiled at Emma as he said this, completely sincere with the words he just spoke to her, "anyways, you wanted to continue our talk, right?"

"Yeah I would like to do that," Emma replied, as she remembered why she wanted to talk to Naruto in the first place, "do you know when your other team member will be back from her mission?"

For a moment, Naruto looked puzzled, "Oh, you mean Sakura? She will be arriving back anytime now," he smiled at the mention of her name, "we can go greet her at the gates if you want."

Emma agreed to go with him to greet Sakura upon her arrival back to the village. The two got up and attempted to dry themselves off. Once they were somewhat cleaned up, they made their way out of the meadow and onto the village streets. Emma could not help but feel somewhat jealous with the reaction Naruto had at the mention of Sakura. She knew she should not feel this way, but it was hard when Naruto was the only one she had to talk to upon her arrival in this village. As the wind blew Emma's hair gently, she promised herself that no matter what happened; she would build a friendship with Naruto and Sakura that could act as their greatest weapon in any fights that they may find themselves in along the way.


End file.
